Shaft Cleaning?

Busboy

Wanna Play Some?
Silver Member
What do u use? What are the steps? I wanna try too keep the finish on the shaft so no green pads or sand paper thanks
 
The most common recommendation I've seen is to use a cloth or magic eraser with a bit of high-content rubbing alcohol.
 
The most common recommendation I've seen is to use a cloth or magic eraser with a bit of high-content rubbing alcohol.

What do I do wet a towl with the alcohol? Rub on shaft then use magic eraser or use eraser first then alcohol?
 
Here is the process I use, but to do it perfect, get a used drill,

mount the used drill and get some drive pins from like, Joe Picone. If your shaft is straight u dont even need anything on the end of the shaft to support the tip and ferrule end.

Anyway, connect the joint pin to the shaft and load into the drill.

Spin at a higher speed setting.

1) Use a chemical cleaner, like from atlas or cu components, use paper towels and run it over the shaft until you see no green or blue come off.

2) then use a 600 grit paper and knock the open wood pores back down and smooth everything out.

3) Then use a qulaity cue wax and apply on a small piece of papercloth, then apply to the shaft from about 6 inches from the joint end to the ferrule, if you are careful you can run the wax up the edge of the tip but not on the tip surface.

4) Run the shaft spinner about 1 to 2 minutes and let the wax completely dry.

5) The use a paper towel, clean, and run it back and forth over the shaft, turning the paper towel as soon as resisitance is felt. Keep cleaning off the wa until it gets warm.

6) the use a 1000 grit paper and burnish the shaft

7) then use 1500 grit and do the same again

8) then use a 200 grit to finish off the burnishing

9) finally u can use a piece of finsihed leather and do a final burnish and the shaft will be as smooth as glass and keep all the dirt and sweat out for 40 to 50 hours of play time.

once the shaft start getting a little sticky, use the 2000 grit and work the shaft back and forth or put it back on the shaft spinner and use the 2000 grit to clean the dirt and nastiness off.


There you go, hope this helps

Mike 'acedonkeyace' Kennedy

PS. PM me if you have any other questions, happy to help if I can!!
 
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mount the used drill and get some drive pins from like, Joe Picone. If your shaft is straight u dont even need anything on the end of the shaft to support the tip and ferrule end.

Anyway, connect the joint pin to the shaft and load into the drill.

Spin at a higher speed setting.

1) Use a chemical cleaner, like from atlas or cu components, use paper towels and run it over the shaft until you see no green or blue come off.

2) then use a 600 grit paper and knock the open wood pores back down and smooth everything out.

3) Then use a qulaity cue wax and apply on a small piece of papercloth, then apply to the shaft from about 6 inches from the joint end to the ferrule, if you are careful you can run the wax up the edge of the tip but not on the tip surface.

4) Run the shaft spinner about 1 to 2 minutes and let the wax completely dry.

5) The use a paper towel, clean, and run it back and forth over the shaft, turning the paper towel as soon as resisitance is felt. Keep cleaning off the wa until it gets warm.

6) the use a 1000 grit paper and burnish the shaft

7) then use 1500 grit and do the same again

8) then use a 200 grit to finish off the burnishing

9) finally u can use a piece of finsihed leather and do a final burnish and the shaft will be as smooth as glass and keep all the dirt and sweat out for 40 to 50 hours of play time.

once the shaft start getting a little sticky, use the 2000 grit and work the shaft back and forth or put it back on the shaft spinner and use the 200 grit to clean the dirt and nastiness off.


There you go, hope this helps

Mike 'acedonkeyace' Kennedy

PS. PM me if you have any other questions, happy to help if I can!!
***warning***

200 grit for the finish. Are you trying to get them to damage their shafts... You have to be kidding
 
I hate shaft cleaners. If the shaft gets slightly sticky I might wipe it down with a damp cotton cloth. Most good players that I know agree that the cue feels better after a shiny glaze of talc and oil has built up.

I once loaned someone a cue and it came back clean. I never made that mistake again.
 
I just wipe it down with 91% isopropyl alcohol at the end of every shooting session.

Magic eraser if need once in a long while. I use it damp.
 
***warning***

200 grit for the finish. Are you trying to get them to damage their shafts... You have to be kidding

I'm positive that was a typo, and should have been 2000 grit. Especially when he advised to use the "200" to burnish the shaft......personally, I think 3000 grit is the best :)
 
After trial and error (and I have tried magic eraser and did not like how it felt) I do the following (its easy, painless and leaves shafts perfect)
1) put some Bon-ami on a slightly damp cloth - very lightly damp -ring out as best as you can

2) clean shaft with bon-ami - shaft gets much cleaner wit this than magic eraser

3) let dry or rub with dry micro-fiber cloth
4) use micro-burnishing sheets (varner's or q-smooth or whatever)

then done! sometimes I re-seal. shafts look brand new and left ultra smooth.
 
a few ways to do this

What do u use? What are the steps? I wanna try too keep the finish on the shaft so no green pads or sand paper thanks


Put a piece of plastic over the tip and ferrule and use a rubber band to seal it.
Clean the shaft with denatured alcohol, this will make the shaft feel sticky or fuzzy because the alcohol raised the wood grain, do not worry.

supply list.

Red scratch pad from hardware store.
clear shellac or bug shit , shellac is shit from the lac bug I think from India.
It feeds the wood and helps from the wood drying out.
Denatured alcohol.
carnauba or a good quality automotive wax.

People use different shaft sealers, I mix 50/50 denatured alcohol/clear shellac.

I own some lathes so I will give you directions as if you do not have a lathe.

It would be best if you used latex gloves and held the shaft as close as you can to the joint end of the shaft.
Wipe the mixture, of denatured alcohol and the shellac on the shaft the mixture will dry with in a minute or two. put on about 5 or 6 coats and let the shellac dry.
might take 5 or 10 minutes.

Then take the red scratch pad and just lightly buff off only the high spots of the shellac and the fuzzy hairs of the wood that was raised when you cleaned the shaft with denatured alcohol, do not in any way buff thought the shellac into the wood grain.
JUST THE HIGH SPOTS.

Wipe off with a dry cloth, apply several coats of carnauba wax or polymer synthetic car wax, LET THE WAX DRY FOR A HOUR OR TWO.

I like 3 or 4 coats of wax.

Facts
The oil in your hands will dissolve the shellac. Denatured alcohol will dissolve shellac.

The shellac feeds and seals and protects the wood from drying out and letting dirt and grim getting into the wood pores. < but it is sticky >

WAX
The wax helps suspend the dirt grim and chalk. and makes the shellac slick and smooth

If you follow this method of maintaining your shaft it will remain as new.

There are more then one way of cleaning cue shaft.
and not everyone agrees using shellac, some cue maker only use wax or lacquer instead of shellac.

Its your choice and this is one method. :D
 
Put it in the dishwasher on the pot and pans cycle (just kidding).
I always got good results with stuff like cue clean, then the shaft paper that comes in a pack with 4 or 5 different colors, each color a different very fine grit, then finish with the karseal wax. What I tound to be kind of important was to let the wood rest a bit between step. Another thing, a cue maker once told me that instead of a clenser product like cue clean I might want to try one of those industrial hand cleaners available at your local auto parts store. Just be sure to get one that had lanolin in it. As an aside, I had also purchased a small container of shaft cleaner (liquid) from a billiard supply, upon analysis they turned out to have the same stuff in them, and the hand stuff is way cheaper.
 
green

Put it in the dishwasher on the pot and pans cycle (just kidding).
I always got good results with stuff like cue clean, then the shaft paper that comes in a pack with 4 or 5 different colors, each color a different very fine grit, then finish with the karseal wax. What I tound to be kind of important was to let the wood rest a bit between step. Another thing, a cue maker once told me that instead of a clenser product like cue clean I might want to try one of those industrial hand cleaners available at your local auto parts store. Just be sure to get one that had lanolin in it. As an aside, I had also purchased a small container of shaft cleaner (liquid) from a billiard supply, upon analysis they turned out to have the same stuff in them, and the hand stuff is way cheaper.

Be careful seen some shafts turn green with some cleaning products.

stay away from bleach.
 
Thanks for catching my missed zero, 0, on the 2000 grit

I corrected the second 2000, grit. Thanks

2000 versus 3000, I have and use both, and I really cant feel any difference, so its individuals choice, 2000 or 3000, you cant go wrong,

Good luck

Mike 'acedonkeyace' Kennedy
 
Or you could leave it alone, and not clean it with anything. A clean shaft doesnt play any better than a chalk stained shaft. And the potential for causing damage to keep it pretty and clean doesnt make sense to me.
For those who like to keep their shafts looking new, my question is and Im honestly curious, what benefit do you feel it has?
Chuck
 
Or you could leave it alone, and not clean it with anything. A clean shaft doesnt play any better than a chalk stained shaft. And the potential for causing damage to keep it pretty and clean doesnt make sense to me.
For those who like to keep their shafts looking new, my question is and Im honestly curious, what benefit do you feel it has?
Chuck

Idc about the blue color its just my shaft don't feel smooth anymore and it bothers me
 
I clean shaft with paper towel with alcohol, and after that burn the shaft with a brown paper from those market's bag. Period.
I don't care about blueing.
 
Or you could leave it alone, and not clean it with anything. A clean shaft doesnt play any better than a chalk stained shaft. And the potential for causing damage to keep it pretty and clean doesnt make sense to me.
For those who like to keep their shafts looking new, my question is and Im honestly curious, what benefit do you feel it has?
Chuck

Chuck -

I clean mine with the magic eraser too.

The benefit is when I have any tiny dings or anything that keeps the shaft from being PERFECTLY smooth, I remove them and when I play there isnt any distraction.

I have seen great players play with dinged up shafts and I have seen them as anal as most of the players here, me included.

Ken
 
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